wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “web visit”
wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →
For “web visit”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.
wp.org search ranks on
Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.
We add
A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Web Worker Offloading shows at wp.org #10 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 1644 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #1 2 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #2 3 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #3 ↑2 4 
Super Progressive Web Apps 40K+ · 4.6★ (225)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 
Web Push Notifications – Webpushr 10K+ · 4.7★ (63)
wp.org #6 7 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #7 ↑3 8 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Web-Stat – Live Visitor Analytics 5K+ · 4.4★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 too high 10 Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning 200K+ · 4.9★ (1644)
wp.org #17 7 too low 11 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 
Super Web Share – Native Social Sharing Button 2K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too high 13 
Web Stories 60K+ · 4.2★ (87)
wp.org #13 14 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
NitroPack – Performance, Page Speed & Cache Plugin for Core Web Vitals, CDN & Image Optimization 80K+ · 4.3★ (311)
wp.org #23 ↓1 8 too low 16 
Powered Cache – Caching and Optimization for WordPress – Easily Improve PageSpeed & Web Vitals Score 3K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #19 ↑5 3 too low 17 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #22 ↓1 5 too low 18 
Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (163)
wp.org #18 19 
Gravitec.net – Web Push Notifications 1K+ · 4.4★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too low 20 
CopySafe Web Protection – Copy Protect Images 800+ · 4.1★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 6 too high 21 
PushAlert – Web Push Notifications for WordPress and WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.6★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
Migrate To Liquid Web & Nexcess 1K+ · 4.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
Outfunnel: Web Visitor Tracking & CRM Integration 600+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #12 11 too high 24 Web Worker Offloading 10K+ · 3.5★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓2 14 too high Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.